Anxiety
by Mouko
Summary: The first day of school is never easy for anyone. This is especially true for the parents of Jade, Nephry, and Saphir.


"Are your books packed? Pencils, papers, and the like?"

"Do you have your coat?"

"Don't talk to anyone suspicious! In fact, don't talk to anyone at all! ...Except for your teacher, of course."

"Keep your nose clean. We've put plenty of silk handkerchiefs in your backpack. Don't use your shirt."

"Stay on the paths. If it's not paved, don't step on it!"

"Be very careful so you don't slip on any ice."

"Now remember, don't take any side trips. Go straight there, and straight back."

"Finish your breakfast. It'll get cold."

"You're not going to school dressed in _that_, are you?"

"Is this really such a good idea? What if he catches something?"

"Saphir, are you even listening?"

The young boy looked up sharply, blinking his violet eyes repeatedly as they slowly came into focus. He had short, shoulder length hair that was white with the slightest hint of purple. It was rather neat, with his bangs almost unnaturally straight while the rest took on the strangest curves on either side of his head, curling up and away. It was true that he hadn't been listening, instead lost in his own thoughts with the spoon half in his mouth and his hot porridge having long since become only lukewarm.

Saphir paused and sniffed slightly before glancing down at himself. His shirt was fairly normal, a nice long-sleeved silk shirt, white in color with blue trim around the sleeves and the collar flaps. The aspect that brought about such comments was the yellow, knee-high shorts he wore. A pair of clunky brown shoes completed the outfit. The young boy looked at himself for a moment more before staring up at his parents with wide eyes.

"...What's wrong with it?" he asked.

Saphir's father scowled at the response. His father had long purple hair tied in a blue ribbon, which curled slightly at the tips, and dark violet eyes. He wore a rather refined looking long-tailed suit, blue with gold trim, and white puffy sleeves with a white jabot. The outfit was completed with white silk pants and black dress shoes. He had a rather boyish face, framed by his wavy bangs that curled free of the ribbon.

While Saphir's father looked irritated, his mother simply looked concerned. She was a rather delicate woman with long white hair and soft fuchsia eyes. A soft blue dress with white trim covered most of her body. What wasn't covered by the gloves or dress was covered by a massive white shawl, which hugged her shoulders possessively.

"Honey, you'll_freeze_ to death," Saphir's mother cooed to the young boy, reaching over to smooth out his hair. "You should put on some nice pants."

"People would think my child doesn't know how to dress properly!" his father grunted, crossing his arms.

"B-but-!" Saphir squinted his eyes shut and grimaced as his mother licked her thumb before using it to wipe away a smudge on his forehead. "But they _itch_... They're not comfortable at all!"

"Oh, that's right," Saphir's mother frowned as she looked up at her husband with wide eyes. "Saphir's skin is just so sensitive; he'll break out in a terrible rash!"

"And what of the cold, then?" the father demanded to know. "He'll get frostbite on his way to class!"

"We don't live far away from the school," the mother replied. "Surely he can get there quickly. Besides, it must have heat. I won't have my son going to some stuffy classroom with no heat!"

"...True," the father relented as he leaned back. "Not to mention it'll_encourage_ him not to _dawdle_ on his way to and from school."

Saphir frowned slightly, but kept his eyes closed as his mother continued to scrub at his face until she was satisfied. She leaned back and regarded her handiwork before sighing heavily.

"My poor baby, heading off into the cold world," she lamented. "What if he meets some _uncivilized brutes_?"

"It's okay, Momma!" Saphir finally opened his eyes and smiled brightly. "I'm going to school! I'm going to be with a lot of children like me!"

"Mmmmph..." His mother didn't seem convinced.

"As I said before," his father glanced at Saphir, his expression stern. "Don't talk to anyone unless it's absolutely necessary. Listen to your teacher, and come straight home afterwards!"

"Okay, Poppa," Saphir replied before suddenly looking up at the fon clock on the wall. His eyes widened drastically once he noticed the time, and he quickly jumped out of his chair and rushed towards the small brown backpack resting by the front door. "Ooops! Gotta go!"

"Walk carefully!" Saphir's father snapped, only to be cut off as the door slammed shut. He grimaced before letting out a weary sigh. "...Well, I suppose it can't be helped."

"Was it really such a good idea?" Saphir's mother fretted, biting her thumb. "To move to such a _Lorelei-forsaken_ wasteland of ice just so dear Saphir could attend some school?"

"It's not some school," the father scolded his wife softly. "It's Professor Nebilim's school. There is no greater honor than to learn from a retired Oracle Knight. I don't know why she chose such a wretched place to have a school, but we won't find a better tutor for our son."

"I suppose that's true."

"Indeed. He _is_ a genius, after all."

----

"Now are you _sure_ you have everything packed?"

"Make sure you don't forget anything on your way home."

"Be sure to listen to everything your teacher tells you."

"Remember to be polite and always say please and thank you."

"Have you eaten enough breakfast?"

"Maybe we should go with you... After all it _is_ your first day!"

"No, thank you," Nephry replied simply as she used her fork to stab at the omelet on her plate. She wore a pretty pink dress, with a line dark pink trim along the sleeves. White ruffles peeked out from within the sleeves and along the hem of the skirt. A dark pink cape collar with yellow trim rested around her neck, covering her shoulders and chest area. Underneath the dress, she wore thick pink pants and white dress shoes. While one might think it odd to wear pants underneath a dress, the weather in Keterburg made it absolutely _necessary_ - that is, unless one didn't mind frostbite in the nether regions. She jerked up a chunk of her food and popped it in her mouth before turning to her parents with a bright smile. "I'm going with Jade."

Both mother and father paused to look at each other before gazing at their son, as if they were uncertain about whether or not such a thing was a good idea. Jade, for his part, ignored the looks his parents gave him as he finished eating his breakfast. He was older than Nephry and as such shared many of her features, particularly their red eyes. His hair, however, was shorter; reaching slightly past his chin, with no bangs to speak of, and was of a more golden brown than gold color. He wore a dark blue cape collar atop a white vest with a blue trim over a green shirt with long sleeves, and a pair of blue pants that were tucked into some rather worn black boots. Without a word he got up from his seat in a rather abrupt manner and walked off towards the front door without so much as a backwards glance.

"W-well, just the same...," the mother began, twirling a finger nervously in her long golden blond hair as her soft hazel eyes quickly shifted away from Jade. She was dressed rather nicely, in a forest green skirt and a white blouse with long sleeves. A matching forest green ribbon tied her hair in a pony tail, keeping the long locks together. "Just the same, perhaps we should go."

"I agree," the father agreed. He was a rather tall man with short dirty blond hair. A pair of black rimmed glasses sat on his nose, through which a pair of reddish brown eyes peered through. He was dressed rather simply - a pair of black pants, a white undershirt, and a black jacket with long sleeves. He reached up to adjust his glasses as he glanced at Jade uneasily. "We should talk to your teacher about your educational needs, at the very least."

"No." Nephry replied simply, as if she expected that to be the end of the conversation.

"Really, dear... just the same... your father and I would feel much more comfortable if we went with you...," the mother said with a very anxious note to her voice.

"Why?" Nephry asked as she poked at the last of her omelet before putting it in her mouth. "Jade will be there."

"Yes, but... Jade has, er, well...," the father began as he looked nervously at his wife who could only look back at him helplessly. "Jade has some, er, shall we say 'problems' with school."

"School really is a lot of fun, sweetie," the mother added helpfully. "Even if Jade doesn't like it, you should give it a try and make sure to listen to your teacher."

"Jade knows everything," Nephry replied simply as she pushed her plate away. "I bet even teachers don't know as much as Jade."

"Now, Nephry, Jade may be smart but I think even he'll agree that he doesn't know everything," Mr. Balfour said in a light tone.

"That's 'cuz he's being modest." Nephry shrugged as she hopped down from her chair before going over to grab her knapsack, which contained her supplies for school.

Both of Nephry's parents balked at the very suggestion that the genius Balfour was in any way modest, glancing at each other as if to share their mutual disbelief.

Nephry didn't pay her parents much attention, instead moving on to more important things. She rushed to the door, where Jade was waiting for her. He looked up at her with a rather neutral expression as he opened the door, though the young girl knew it meant that Jade was tired of waiting for her. She giggled brightly and snagged Jade's hand tightly before the two of them left the house, slamming the door behind them.

----

There weren't many children at Professor Nebilim's school, waiting for it to open for the day. Admittedly there weren't many children in _Keterburg_, but there were still more than what showed up to attend classes. It was simply a matter of upbringing and social class - the lower classes rarely recognized the value of education and instead expected their children to follow in their footsteps while the upper classes could afford private tutors. The end result were only four boys and two girls would be attending the school besides Nephry and Jade, all of which loitered around outside the building until the teacher was ready to call them in.

Nephry frowned as she squeezed Jade's hand tightly. While she had been excited at first, the looming school building was causing her to lose her nerve. She glanced around anxiously at the other children, seeking the familiar to try and compensate for the unfamiliar. She knew she would be fine if Jade was there, but that didn't keep her from feeling uneasy.

Most of the faces were familiar, children she had seen at the playground or around town at various times. However, not all were familiar. Nephry turned to gawk, her eyes rather wide, as a young boy she didn't recognize sat on the steps to the school.

Saphir sat to himself, his legs tucked up slightly to act as a support for what he was working on. He didn't look at the other children as he tinkered with a small robot in his lap, using a screwdriver to tweak at the insides while the other held the robot firmly. He chewed on his lower lip as he concentrated, too focused to notice anything else.

The robotic was shaped like a cylinder, with scrawny arms and legs attached to two clamps and slabs respectively. Two yellow orbs designated its 'face' from the rest of its body, along with the red border marking out the neck. It was rather plain looking, without many details or baubles, and sat motionlessly in Saphir's lap as its back was wide open.

"...Jade...," Nephry murmured as she grasped Jade's arm with her other hand.

Jade looked at the child sitting on the steps a look of brief interest. From what he could see immediately the other boy had no sense of dressing for the cold, so he was obviously new to Keterburg. Judging from the make of the clothes and the fact that the child was tinkering with a well constructed piece of fontech, the white haired boy was from a wealthy family that could afford to indulge as possibly destructive and expensive hobby.

Jade didn't feel inclined to answer Nephry, who was obviously wondering who the boy was. He simply continued on his way to class. He had already figured out the identity of the rich boy, so there was nothing else to entertain his curiosity and make him feel inclined to linger.

Saphir didn't notice Jade or Nephry looking at him, so focused on the fontech in his lap. He continued to tinker with it for a moment before he leaned back, setting the screwdriver down beside him. He then turned the robot about so it faced him and tilted his head.

"How's that, Tarlow II?" he asked. The robot's eyes immediately lit up and it raised its little clawed 'hands' skyward.

"_I CAN SEEEEEEEE_!" it announced enthusiastically, the orbs that stood for eyes glowing brightly.

Such a sudden high-pitched tinny outcry caused both Jade and Nephry to stop and stare, along with a couple other children who were coming to school.

Nephry gaped rather openly at Saphir and the tiny robot, her eyes the size of dinner plates. "...Jade... it _talked_!"

Saphir giggled as he smiled at the robot. "So you like your new eyes?"

"Yes!" the robot replied cheerfully. "Now I have a face! Scanners did not give me a face."

Jade was silent as he stared at Saphir and the robot, reassessing the situation. Though he had no real affinity when it came to fontech, he knew that the rich boy must have held a good deal of talent in that area. Even if the robot was purchased rather than made from scratch by Saphir, it still required a good deal of knowledge and capability to do such customization.

"Well, I'm glad," Saphir replied, still not noticing the gawking as he held the robot. "Next time, I'm going to build you some ears."

"Eeeears?" Tarlow II repeated before flailing its limbs. "So I'll be able to _hear_?"

"You can hear_now_." The rich boy arched an eyebrow.

"Yes, but I will be able to hear with _ears_!" Tarlow II replied. "That is _much_ different."

"Well, that's going to have to wait," Saphir replied, though he was still making a face at what the robot was saying. "I have to go to class."

"Noooooo!" the robot wailed, flailing. "I want ears _now_!"

"I'm afraid you're just going to have to be patient."

Saphir jumped and jerked his head upwards, startled out of the conversation at the new voice. Leaning over Saphir with a bright smile on her face was a woman with short, fluffy silver hair and twinkling violet eyes. She wore a large white jacket with pink trim, over top a blue turtleneck, and heavy yellow pants to guard her legs from the cold.

"Ah?" Saphir blinked repeatedly, his face turning slightly red.

"..._Prettyyyy_...," the robot muttered, sounding equally incredulous.

The woman giggled slightly before tilting her head. "I'm very sorry, but I'll have to borrow your creator for a little while. You can have him after school's done, okay?"

"Okaaaaay...," the robot replied, still sounding dazed. Saphir said nothing as he gaped at the woman, eyes still very wide. The woman grinned even more brightly as she straightened up and brushed her hair back.

"It's time for class, everyone," she called out to the school yard. "Please come inside so we may begin."

The children were rather reluctant to enter the classroom, either due to the fact that they were more interested in Saphir's robot or because of anxiety towards going to a school with a person who was fairly new to Keterburg. Even still the cheerful demeanor of the woman who was to be their professor was enough to coax them inside.

Jade was the first to enter, with Nephry holding his hand the entire way. He wanted to verify for himself that attending this school was worth his time or not as quickly as possible. Though he had corresponded with their teacher in the past through letters and found her to be a very intelligent woman who seemed to be everything her reputation said she was, it did not necessarily mean that she would teach him the things he was most interested in, such as the seventh fonon, which she was a master of. After all she had advised him against proceeding with a number of the experiments that he had outlined to her in a few of his letters already.

However, the presence of a child apparently gifted in fontech was something Jade certainly did not expect, though it intrigued him nonetheless. He had heard the rumors of the Neis family and their son, particularly how he was supposedly a genius. He felt rather skeptical, as he knew that parents tended to greatly embellish the abilities of their children, but the skill Saphir displayed in tinkering with that robot was compelling that the rumors weren't simply boastful posturing.

Perhaps Jade had a good enough reason to attend school already.


End file.
